


Find Me

by jjaesad



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Investigations, Kidnapping, M/M, Military, Missing Persons, One sided Lust x Envy, One-Sided Attraction, Restored Alphonse Elric, Test Subject Envy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2019-06-16
Packaged: 2019-06-21 13:53:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15559152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjaesad/pseuds/jjaesad





	1. The New Sibling

The room was suddenly quiet and the stench of blood filled the air. Blood dripped from the operation table as an unconscious body laid there, miniscule breathes slowly coming out of the form.

Their hand twitched as it dangled off the side, blood trailing down the arm and onto the floor.

A man in a white coat and suit, a doctor, with glasses ran a hand down the chest of the unconscious form.

"Is it another failure?" Spoke a voice, a silhouette of a taller man standing by a doorway.

"No, he is unconscious. He will awake eventually." The doctor said before continuing. "The power and strength of the stone must've caused them to pass out from the pain."

The man by the door hummed in understanding as the doctor continued to speak. "His wounds healed fairly quickly. You keep an eye on this one; your current youngest."

"Hm.... Take him to a bedroom, I will alert the others that their fourth sibling has arrived."

"Yessir. Should I give pain medication when he awakes?"

"No. If he could survive the stone merging with his body, then he can survive the symptoms. Now go."

"Yessir."

* * *

 

_My body hurts.... it feels like it's on fire, burning from the inside._

_It's dark. I can't see anything, I can't tell what's up or down. I can't feel the ground._

_Am I floating? I can't really tell._

_Why does my body hurt so much?_

_Am I dead? Am I dying?_

_What's happening to me?_

_Where.... am I? How did I get here?_

_Wait..... light... I see light!_

_It's a red light!_

_Is it the exit? I need to reach it._

_I need to._

_I want it._

_I need it!_

_I'm hungry for it!_

_I-_

* * *

 

He woke up in a strange room with bright white ceiling lights. He looked around and sat up, his body aching in pain in the process with his long dark hair covering his face.

He looked up at the sound of the door opening.

A tall man with pale blonde hair that reached his shoulders and wearing a white long robe stepped into the small room. His eyes were golden and his face seemed to be devoid of any emotion. "Ah. You are awake, good."

"Who are you?" The teen asked, curiosity in his voice.

The man stepped closer, standing next to the bed. "I.. am your creator. Your Father, and you are my son. You are a piece of me. You are... my jealousy, my envy."

The teen stared at the man who claimed to be his father and his creator. The teen then flinched when the man placed his hand on his head and placed another hand on his blonde bearded chin.

The teen looked up at him and the man looked at him in thought.

"Envy.... Envy the Jealous. That.. is your name from now on."

"My name? But I-" The teen cut himself short, realizing that he can't even say his own name even if he tried. _I can't remember.... Why don't I remember my name?_

The teen- _Envy_ snapped out his thoughts when the man, his creator, moved his hand away from him. "Do you feel any pain?"

"I-"

"If you do. It'll go away by tomorrow, you don't need pain medication. The stone at your core will heal any inner wounds in your body slowly. Now come. Your siblings are waiting for you."

"My siblings?" He asked, though Envy stood up anyways.

"Before that, put on the clothes that were given to you. They're on the edge of the bed." The man then left.

It was then that Envy realised he was completely naked, he didn't even notice the cold. Envy went over the clothes he was given. He didn't mind the fact that he was revealing a bit of skin, infact he enjoyed it. The skort over the skin tight shorts and the halter top he was given were the ones he seemed to like the most out the rest of what he was wearing.

Envy exited the room and looked around, seeing the man standing by the door. "Follow." He said vaguely.

Envy was widely intimidated by the man; his 'Father'. He seemed unpredictable and cold. The expression on his face never really seemed to change and his eyes were stoic and cold.

After a while, the man stopped and opened a large door. Once opened, three individuals looked over in their direction, their eyes landing on Envy immediately.

There was a busty woman in a slim dress with long, waist length wavy hair. A man with short hair and small glasses with a vest that was rimmed with fur at the collar. The last was a small child, wearing a dress shirt, tie and vest with shorts and seemed more formal than the other two.

"My children. This is your newest sibling, your brother. Envy. Treat him as one of your own."

Almost on instinct, Envy stepped forward. He was nervous but kept the emotion hidden.

The first to stand was the woman, she made her way towards him and the closer she got, Envy noticed the tattoo on her chest. Envy looked up at her and she smiled warmly.

"It's very nice to meet you, Envy. My name is Lust. Father told us your body accepted the philosophers stone. How do you feel?"

"I... I feel... confused." He said, and Lust smiled again before she moved back slightly and gestured at the man who was now standing. "That is Greed, he is the third eldest and I am the second eldest." She said.

_Second? Then that means..._

"And this.. is our older brother Pride. The first born."

_But... that's impossible, he's just a little boy!_

Father then walked over to them and looked over at Lust. "Lust, I expect you to guide our newest edition to our family. He changed forms while the stone was merging with his body. Help him channel and control his shape shifting. He might come of use to us."

"Yes Father."

Father then turned and left the four alone. Lust went to Envy and cupped his chin with her hand. She smiled as she looked at him.

"Welcome home, Envy."


	2. Ivy

_"Hey.... Thank you for coming out here. I know you're busy so.... I won't waste your time for too long."_

_The teen rubbed the back of his head. "I just.... wanted to ask you a favour. I know you... work for the military and that... you're a State Alchemist."_

_He sighed. "Do you..... do you know about all these.. missing people cases popping up? It's scary...... isn't it?"_

_The teen looked up at the alchemist. "Well... that's what I wanted to talk about. I want you to promise me something."_

_"If..... If I... disappear suddenly...... please, come find me..... I know I told you I move cities a lot with my family.... But please... don't dismiss it as just that!"_

_"If I go missing.... if I disappear.. Please! Look for me..."_

_"I know you have the power to form a search party if a person goes missing. I'm asking you as the only person I trust and as a friend!"_

_"Please....."_

_"Come find me, Edward!"_

* * *

 

Edwards eyes shot open and he sat up quickly, taking deep and uneven breaths.

Al looked up from where he was sitting as he looked at his brother. "Brother?" When Alphonse took a better look at Edwards face he gasped lightly.

"Ah! Brother, are you ok?"

Ed looked over in genuine confusion. "Huh? Yeah of course I'm fine. I just had a weird dream. Why?"

"Ed.... You're crying."

"Huh?" The blonde then touched his face, and lo and behold Al was right. Tears were continuesly running down his cheeks. "What... the hell?" Edward rubbed his face and wiped away the tears.

"You really didn't notice?"

"N-no I... I didn't realize it at all."

"...What were you dreaming about?

"It was....... I was dreaming... about Ivy.." Edward mumbled.

"Ivy? Isn't that your friend who moved away?"

"Y-yeah..." He sighed. "I don't... understand why..... I haven't thought about him in months...."

"Hm..." Alphonse thought for a moment before speaking. "Did he.... did he say anything? In the dream?"

"Yeah... he told me to.... promise him something. I can't remember what though..."

"Hm... Well we should get going to Central, Colonel said it was urgent remember?"

"Y-yeah I'll... I'll get ready."

* * *

 

Edward managed to get to Central Command on time, half of being genuinely worried for being late and the other just didn't want to hear a lecture from the Colonel.

When the brothers walked into the office, the only ones that were currently there was Officer Breda, Havoc, Fuery, and lieutenant Hawkeye. The Colonel doesn't seem to be there yet.

"Ah. Edward, Alphonse... You're both early." Said Hawkeye, who was in the middle of passing out manilla folders with documents inside each one.

"Hey there lieutenant. Mustang isn't here yet?" Edward asked, taking his seat along with Al.

"Nope, he still has some documents to bring over." Breda said.

"These aren't the documents right here?" Al asked, picking up a folder and looking through it.

"Yes, but it seems like the number of disappearances have been increasing these past years. At an alarming rate too." Riza said as she looked over a document as well.

"These people are all so young. Has anyone been found?" The younger brother asked, not realizing that the older of the two had put his head down on the table.

Riza sighed. "Only three have been found alive out of the many who went missing. We don't know the numbers yet, but seeing all these documents makes me believe it's a very.. big number."

"Maybe these victims were sold into slavery overseas...?" Fuery suggested.

"That does sound like a possibility..." Answered Havoc.

"Wait! People do that? Sell others into slavery?" Al asked, the poor boy has never heard of such a thing happen.

"Unfortunately, things like that are common for the more rural third world countries with a wealthy hierarchy." Riza explained.

The boy sulked. "That's terrible... those poor people...."

"I'm sorry you had to hear that Alphonse, it was best you not knowing." Fuery commented, feeling bad for the boy.

"No, it's fine. I have to grow up someday. Right, brother? Brother?"

The blonde was fast asleep with his head on the table, drooling onto the wooded surface.

"Ah! B-Brother! Now's no time for a nap!" The youngest shook his brother awake, hoping to get his attention. "Come on Ed, snap out of it!"

The blonde groaned and sat up. "Alright, alright..... I'm up, I'm up.." Edward stretched his arms and yawned. "Geez, Al..." 

"Did you not get any sleep last night, Edward?" Riza asked, setting the documents down.

Edward let out another yawn as he rubbed his eyes. "Not at all, last night was restless...."

"Well, try to stay awake, Fullmetal." Roy Mustang stepped into the room with Sheska by his side, holding a stack of manilla folders and putting them on the large table. Roy sat at his desk and sighed.

"Did you find anything out, sir?" Said Riza, now preparing a cup of coffee for her superior.

Roy pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "The missing person cases... the numbers seemed to have gone up since I've last checked."

"How bad has it gotten?"

Roy stayed silent for a moment before sighing and leaning back in his chair. "There has been thirty-eight disappearances in the last four years."

"Thirty-eight? Hows that possible?" Edward asked, now sitting up.

"Eighteen people went missing last November and twenty have disappeared in December. I still don't know how many people have gone missing a day. Maybe twice a day each week, but that doesn't sound right."

Alphonse looked back at the documents he was holding, flipping the pages. "Do you think some of these people are still alive?"

"Doubt it. Half these people have been missing for two years. It's kinda hard to believe they're still alive and kickin..." Havoc responded.

"Alive or not, we still need to figure out who's doing this. However, I doubt they're doing this alone. One person isn't able to kidnap these many people." Mustang said, taking a sip of the coffee Riza made him.

"Still..... I still reckon that maybe... some of them might still be alive out there, we can't give up on a life..." Alphonse said, sitting down next to his brother who put his head down on the table again.

"Oh, Alphonse....." Riza mumbled as she placed a hand his shoulder.

"You seem to have a lot of faith that the victims are still alive, Al. Why is that?" Roy questioned, resting his chin in his gloved hand.

"Well... Some of these are clearly recent cases." Al, said picking up another file and opening it. "Ah.. like this one, this woman went missing at the end of last year, December." Alphonse looked back at Mustang. "She has to be alive right? Why don't we start with the most recent cases first to see what we can find?"

Mustang placed a hand on his chin and leaned back in his chair in thought.

"Sir, what do you think? Does that sound good?" Riza asked.

"Hm.... It's a simple start, but it doesn't hurt to try." He said. "This... might actually work.."

"R-really? I-I was just... throwing stuff out there, you really think that'll work?"

"Yes, but.... we need to know which ones are the _most_ recent cases in order to start." Mustang stood up and went over to the table, picking up a file and flicking Edward in the forehead to wake him up.

"Ow! Why didn't shake me to wake me up?"

"Because you won't." Mustang said plainly as he went around the table, picking up some files that seemed recent. "Alright.. these seem to be the most recent ones. I'll read out the information of each one. Hawkeye I want you to write these down and make separate copies of these, understand?"

"Yessir." She said, immediately getting a pen and some papers.

Edward leaned back in his chair and sighed. The looked at the ceiling and tuned out the Colonel. _Geez why do we always have to be up here so early? It's messing with my sleep schedule._  
  
_Edward_

"Huh?" Edward sat up and looked around the room.

"Brother, is something wrong?" Al placed a hand on Eds shoulder. 

"Something the matter, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked, stopping in the middle of speaking.

"No, no... it's just.. Mmh... Nevermind it's nothing, keep going.." _What was that just now? Who was calling me?_  Edward peered around the room with his eyes, looking back and forward, up and down.

_Nobody's looking at me, everyones just paying attention to Mustang. So who was that?_

_Edward_

_There it is again...._

_Come find me_

_Find you? Who are you?_

_You didn't forget, did you?_

_Who are you!?_

"And lastly, Ivy Alighieri. A seventeen year old male. Pale skin with jet black shoulder length hair, usually kept in a pony tail. His eye colour is navy blue and he's five foot two inches. He's been missing now for eight weeks." Mustang finished.

Edward was quickly snapped out of his thoughts and he stood up with his hands on the table.

"Brother?"

"Fullmetal, what is it now?"

"Ivy.. he.... I know that name."

Alphonse then quickly stood up as well, his hand on Eds shoulder. "B-brother, you're crying again!"

"Wha?" The blonde touched his cheek and quickly wiped his eyes. "Ugh, dammit..."

"Fullmetal. You know this person?"

"Yeah but.... eight weeks? I haven't seen him in almost.... almost three months."

"Three months? But a lady came to the front office distraught because her son went missing." Breda explained.

"No that can't be right, he was gone longer than that I should know. Back when we were in East City, I tried to contact him and the hotel receptionist told me he wasn't staying there anymore." Edward said. "If what you say is true, Breda.... then I don't think that lady cares that much for her son to notice he's missing three months later...." The blonde went over to Mustang.

"Can I see?" Mustang shrugged and gave Edward the file. The blonde pulled out a picture of the victim, examining it carefully. "This is him... I know that face...."

"So then, Fullmetal. Should we start with this one?"

".....Yeah..."


	3. Vibrant Rose

It was dark in the underground tunnels and the sounds of heeled foot steps echoed in the empty halls. A slender, bustful figure walked through the tunnels. Arms folded under her bust and a look of faint annoyance on her face.

Her slender hands opened a large and heavy double door, revealing the stone throne that was usually full of Father. But the throne was currently full of a person, or rather a creature, who has no right to be lounging nonchalantly in the throne of their Father.

Lust walked towards the figure in the throne, the dazed look on his face indicating he didn't notice her presence. "Envy..." She called.

Said sin blinked and looked at the ceiling before turning his gaze towards his sister. "Lust, you're back!" He said, now getting up and stretching his back. "Finally, I was getting bored with no one to talk to."

The elder sin made no expression. "If Pride catches you in Fathers throne, you won't be seeing the light of day."

" _Please.._ Prides not here." He huffed.

"Envy... if you don't want to be stuck underground for the next millennium, I suggest you don't get on Prides bad side." Lust scolded. 

"But-"

"Envy, enough.." Lust cut him off starting to lose her patience.

Envy huffed again and crossed his arms. "Fine.." He said begrudgingly.

"Thank you." She said walking towards a large pipe and sitting down, closing her eyes.

Envy followed, sitting next to her on the floor. Looking up at her he stared at her face and admired her features silently.

Her eyelashes, her skin... her lips. Her hair, her soft glorious wavy dark hair. And her ch...

Envy shook his head, trying to remove those thoughts from his mind. He couldn't think like that it isn't right, it's not permitted. But he couldn't help his thoughts, he loved Lust. More than anything.

He admires her, loves her... maybe even, for lack of a better word, _lusts_ for her. He laid his head on her knee and sighed in relaxation.

He wished there were more moments like these. Of course he's been practically glued to Lusts hip ever since he was first introduced to her, he loves spending time with her. He knows almost everything about her.

Her favourite flower, roses. Her favourite colour, red. Even her favourite type of clothing, skin tight.

He could write a poem about her, hell maybe even an entire book dedicated to her. He'd do anything for her; kill, risk his life, die for her. He loved her. An outsider might view it as an obsession, but to him it's love.

Envy snapped out of his thoughts as he felt a hand on his head, stroking his hair. When he looked up he met her eyes. Those beautiful piercing red eyes.

She was like a vibrant rose and Envy was nothing but the thorn on her hip.

Of course, Lust showed affection towards Envy as well. But ever since their new family addition, Gluttony, joined he would often tag along with her and Envy. And Envy despises the fact that Lusts was focusing her attention more on Gluttony lately. He couldn't help but feel jealous, it was his name sake.

But at this current moment, Gluttony is either asleep or chewing at some pipes or underground cabels. And Envy couldn't be happier to be Lusts center of attention.

He loved it. Even now as she stroked his surprisingly soft hair, he loved it.

Envy wanted more than just a few pats on the head from her. With this thought in mind Envy sat up and hugged around Lusts waist with his face in her glorious chest. Lust never really minded when Envy did this, she _is_ lust afterwall. So having a man in her chest wasn't exactly new to her.

Though it did catch her off guard this time, but she continued to stroke Envys hair regardless. "Envy...?"

"Lust... can I ask something..?"

"Hm?"

"What..... is it like... to kiss and.... to have sex? Father says we're sterile... but do you still feel things when you-"

"Envy... would you like to know what it's like?" Lust said, she was honestly just hoping to get this over with.

"Y...yes.. I do."

Lust then cupped Envys face and pressed her lips against his. Envy closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her neck hesitantly.

Envy at first thought he wouldn't feel anything in a kiss, but in this moment he felt the sensation of lightning go up and down his spine, aswell as heat rising to his chest and face. He couldn't help but let a moan escape from his throat as he tilted his head and felt another wave of lightning go down his spine.

But every feeling stopped when Lust pulled away and stood up, looking at the door as Greed walked into the large room. "What're you guys doing in here, I couldn't find you anywhere..."

Envy scoffed and crossed his arms. "Why do you care?" Envy said in annoyance.

"Shut up, brat, I was talking to Lust..."

"That question was directed at both of us you cretin!"

"I said shut your mouth!"

"Both of you, enough...." Lust said stepping between the two. "What do you want, Greed?"

And that's when they started talking about things that didn't intrest Envy, he kept his arms crossed and watched as Lusts attention was, once again, directed to someone else.

She's a vibrant rose.

And he's nothing but a thorn on her hip. 


	4. Bad Dream

Two long weeks the Elric brothers (mostly Ed) stayed up and looked through the files of the missing cases. Looking at past records and asking around in East City if anyone knows or has seen the victim, Ivy Alighieri.

Edward stayed up most of the time to do research and look for any leads. Though, besides the current mission he had at hand there was something else bothering him. "It's just your imagination, brother.." Said the younger Elric.

"I dunno, Al. It seriously feels like somebody has been following me all day, it's... honestly it's giving me the creeps." Edward said with a shiver. "You don't feel it?"

"No? You're just being paranoid, Ed..."

Edward huffed and crossed his arms as he got up from the couch. "I'm being serious.."

Alphonse sighed. "Maybe Mustang assigned someone to keep an eye on you..." He suggested, trying to humour his older brother.

"Ah? Why just me? You're here with me too, Al."

"Well... you're a lot more reckless than I am, brother."

"Ah- What's _that_ supposed to mean!? You calling me a loose canon or something!?" Ed said as placed his hands on his hips.

_A loose canon would have more control than you, brother._ "That's not what I said at all.."

"Yeeaahh whatever, I bet you were thinking it anyways." Edward grabbed his signature red coat and headed for the door.

"Where are you going, Ed?"

"A walk."

"Walk? Isn't it too late at night for something like that?" Alphonse said as he looked at the clock on the wall.

"Ehh... I need fresh air anyways, besides maybe I'll see the guy who's been stalking me all day..." Edward said with a huff and left the hotel, going on his midnight stroll through a nearby park.

As he walked he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched and followed again. He looked behind him several times and each time he saw nothing, maybe a few stray cats and some raccoons but no person.

Ed hated this feeling and he started getting dizzy as his leg began to ache. "Ugh... It's gonna rain...." He groaned as he sat on a bench and pulled his hoodie up.

Edward stayed there for a while lounging on the bench with his eyes closed as the rain started to sprinkle down. He still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, from behind no less.

It wasn't until Ed heard a loud thud on the grass behind him that he jumped and turned around.

"Who's there!?" No answer. "I have alchemy, and am not afraid to use it!" His voice echoed and he went over to where the sound came from. He stepped over a bush and came accross a body laying on the ground face down, seemingly unconscious.

Alerted, Edward rushed over and shook the unconscious form. "Hey, hey! Are you alright?" Ed groaned when he got no response, not even a mumble. "Come on get up!" He flipped the (he assumed) teen over to see his face.

"Where did you even come from?" Ed asked, despite knowing he wouldn't get an answer. He then checked for a heartbeat, though instead of a beating heart he got the sound of a stomach growling.

Ed sighed. "I can't leave him here..." _Not only because I care, but because if I tell Al that I found an unconscious person and did nothing I wouldn't hear the end of it._

He then picked up the teen on his back and carried him to the hotel the brothers are staying in.

* * *

  


"You go for a walk and you bring a person who's unconscious?"

Ed huffed. "Says the one who brings stray cats in the apartment!"

"That's different, Ed! Don't you think we should take him to a hospital?"

"And you tell me what hospital is open at _one in the morning,_ Al."

Alphonse sighed and crossed his arms. "Well, he'll have to sleep on the couch until the next day. I guess we don't have a choice." Al said. "I hate it when you're right, though brother. You get this look on your face-"

Al cut himself off when he looked at his older brother who had a smug grin. "Yeah, that's the one...." The youngest sighed again. "Looks like I'll have to cook breakfast for three tomorrow..."

"What'd you mean, he's leaving when he wakes up..." Ed responded, already getting out of his everyday clothes and getting ready for bed.

"Well, I don't wanna kick him out. He probably doesn't even know where he is at this point if he wakes up in a strangers couch, brother." Al turned to look at the teen on the couch. "I at least wanna give him something to eat before he leaves."

Edward sighed, he can't argue with his brother when it comes to hospitality and being humble. "Alright, Al. Ya got me there." He said with a yawn, heading to his bedroom.

"I'll see ya in the morning, night Al..."

"Goodnight, brother." 

* * *

  


...

_...ward...._

_Edward....._

_Ed!!_

_Edwards eyes shot open and he sighed. He rolled on his back expecting the soft and warm comforting feeling of his bed, but instead felt a hard cold surface._

_Huh? When Ed tried to sit up, he felt restraints on his wrists and ankles. He struggled with them for a good minute before realizing it was useless._

_Al? .....Alphonse!_

_Edward turned his head from side to side, trying to look around. From what Ed could see he was in some sort of operating room, like the ones you see in hospitals._

_What kind of dream is this? Edward was lucid but everytime he'd think of something to happen (like having enough strength to break free) nothing seemed to happen or change._

_Until he heard a door open and foot steps echoeing and getting closer._

_A man in a white coat and a surgical mask stood next to him, hovering over him and examining his body. It wasn't until now that Ed realized his body was completely bare._

_Then suddenly, Ed felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked and saw the man enjecting a needle with a red thick liquid into him. Ed panicked but before he could say anything, another stronger pain shot through his entire body._ _And that's when his entire body started shaking and convulsing, letting out a choked scream in pain. What kind of dream was this?_

_It felt like his blood was boiling, but he felt a freezing cold sting of pain at the same time. He wanted to vomit, he wanted to cry, he wanted to scream for help._

_But it all came to a sudden halt, and he heard another scream but not of his own. That's when Ed realized he was standing, fully clothed and no restraints. When he looked over at the operation table, he saw a body convulsing violently and screaming just like he was._

_Ivy... It's Ivy! Edward reached out his hand as he tried to grab Ivy and save him. But the more he reached out the more far away the operation table became._

_Ivy! IVY! And at that moment Ivy became limp, his body going still as blood dripped to the floor. And as Ed called out to Ivy one last time, Ivy turned his head to look at him. His life draining from his eyes._   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_"Edward..."_


	5. The Foreigner

Edward immediately sat up in his bed as he woke up, breathing heavily as sweat beaded down his face along with large tears pouring down his cheeks. He looked down at his shaking hands as tears and sweet droplets fell into his palms. _What's happening?_ His eyes darted around the room, as if trying to confirm this is real life.

 _Why do I... keep having these dreams? And..._ "What do they have to do with Ivy...?" He mumbled out loud. At that moment he heard the door open and he immediately wiped away his tears with the blanket.

"Brother?" Al called out peaking his head in the room. "Breakfast is ready, and our guest is awake.."

"Guest?" Ed looked over with mild confusion. He was still so confused and focused on the dream he completely forgot about the person he found unconscious last night. "Oh right..... last night...."

"Is... something wrong, brother? You look sweaty, did you have a dream?"

"Y..yeah I did... It was so weird and... kinda scary honestly..." Ed muttered as he sighed.

"...was it about Ivy again?" Al questioned.

"Yeah, but.... this dream was _way_ more intense than the first one..." Edward sighed again and rubbed his eyes. "I don't even know what these dreams have to do with him..."

"Maybe it's because you've been staying up lately. You've been going to bed late since last week, maybe it's messing with your head.." Al suggested, stepping into the bedroom completely.

"Could be.... I hope it's just that..." _But I jut can't shake the feeling that it's something more..._ Ed then got up from bed and stretched. "I'll be out in a minute, Al."

"Okay." Al then left and closed the door.

Edward then slipped on some pants with his black tank top before sitting in front of the mirror in his temporary room. He pulled his hair over his shoulder and started braiding his golden locks into his signature braid. He rubbed his face and sighed heavily.

"Alright, Ed. Calm down, maybe these dreams are just stress... Like Al said, you've been staying up late..." He mumbled to himself, trying to calm down. Edward sighed again, and rubbed his eyes.

As Ed pulled his hands away from eyes he saw a figure behind him in the mirror, he quickly stood up and turned around, getting in a fighting stance. But there was nothing there...  
_Oh no.._ He held his head in his hands as he sat back down. "Now I'm hallucinating...?" Ed sighed and cursed under his breath.

Once Ed was dressed he stepped out and went to the kitchen. "I'm here, Al..." The first thing he saw, though, wasn't Alphonse. He saw the guy he picked up last night stuffing his face with food, wolfing down the sausages and pancakes. He raised a hand in greeting when he saw Edward walk in. "Hi!" He said with his mouth full.

"Glad to see you like my cooking, you must've been starving. Do you want any, Brother?" Asked Alphonse.

"Uh... sure, yeah..." Ed took his seat and crossed his legs. "So uh.. you got a name?"

The guy, he seemed like a foreigner, swallowed his food and took a sip of his drink. "Mnh... My name is Ling Yao, I come from the land of Xing." He said. "I'm so greatfull you found me, I past out from hunger."

"Well, that answers all of my questions." Ed said.

"You come from Xing? You came across that giant dessert by yourself!?" Al asked.

"Oh, no no! I had my comrades with me, but I lost them after some time."

"Oh, we can help you find them. Right, Brother?" Al looked over at Ed who seemed to be spacing out.

"Ah, that won't be necessary!" Ling said cheerfully. "I'll find them eventually, they can't be far."

 _There obviously pretty far if you were found past out in the middle of the night..._ The Brothers thought.

"So uh.. what're you doing here in Amestris? A job or just visiting?" Edward asked, picking at his food. He was still thinking about the dream he had and the shadow he saw. _I could've sworn it looked like Ivy...._

"Well, I'm actually here for some research. You two are alchemists, right?" Ling asked.

"What's it to you?" Said Edward.

"I'm looking for alchemists to help me in my research. Have you two ever heard of... the Philosopher Stone?" Ling said as the room fell silent.

Edward took a bite of his food before looking back up at Ling. "And what if we have?"

"Well, then you two can help me. You see, Xing is separated into clans. Each one in a different class, from low class, middle class, and high class. The Emperor of the Yao clan, my clan and my Father, is dying. In our country the Philosopher Stone is said to grant immortality if one consumes it." Ling explained and Edward raised an eyebrow.

"You want to _eat_ the Philosopher Stone?" Ed asked.

"Not exactly, it's a lot more complicated than that. Stories in my country say that the Stone can be introduced into the blood stream and take over the body as a new host. And once your body accepts the Stone, it grants you regeneration and immortality."

"What happens when the body _rejects_ the Stone?" Alphonse asked.

"....You die.." Ling said. "But like I said earlier, these are only stories I've heard for years. I came here to see if it's true and if the Stone is even real."

"...We'll help you.." Al said suddenly, causing Ed to turn around surprised. "Al, we're already in the middle of a search of our own right now!" Ed said.

"Yes, but maybe it will lead us to Ivy and what happened to him. And maybe it can answer the question why you're having dreams about him too.." Al requested and Ed stayed silent in thought.

"Who's Ivy, friend of yours?" Ling asked. 

"Yeah, he went missing a while back and I've been having weird dreams about him too..." Ed said.

"Hm.... that sounds... familiar....." Ling mumbled in thought. "Is there a library near by?"

"Yeah, why?" Ed asked.

"I might know the answer for that...." 


	6. Connection

"I might have the answer to that.." Ling said.

"What'd you mean?" Al asked, now sitting next to Edward.

"Edward, was it? What are your religious beliefs?" Ling questioned.

The blonde alchemist crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat with a small frown. "I'm an alchemist, a scientist. I don't really believe in superstition or God, unless it's proven to me. Why? Are you gonna preach or something?"

"Not at all. It just has to do with what I'm about to say. Now, I'm not trying to force religion onto you, Edward. Rather, I'm only informing you on a subject that has been told to exist and that you might be experiencing." Ling said.

"And what would that be?"

"In Xing we believe in many gods, and it seems most Amestrians believe there is only one being. Call it God, The Divine, the Higher Self, Brahman, whatever. Everything, including you and me, are modalities of that one substance. Which means our mind is derived from that mind. Which means there will be times, especially in dreams, when we ascend to a mental state that is higher than what we normally experience. When we do, we will see other thoughts, dream about images we have never seen, and sometimes even experience precognition. Basically, when you're going to sleep you are somehow connecting with Ivy in a way where you can see and relive his memories or thoughts." Ling explained. "What exactly did you dream about, Ed?"

"Well, I... I dreamed I was tied down to an operating table. And this strange doctor injected some kind of red fluid into my chest and I suddenly got large jolts of pain and I started convulsing." Edward explained. Al seemed a bit surprised by that.

Ling looked up at the ceiling in thought. "It could be that.... you're witnessing a past thought or... memory perhaps, and you are reliving those memories in Ivy's place and experiencing what _he_ experienced." Ling said. "You said you were tied down?"

"Yeah, to an... operation table, an old rusted one too. You don't think..... Ivy lived through that, do you?" Edward pondered.

"That's actually exactly what I'm thinking, Edward. Although..... from the information you've giving me it's really hard to tell if this happened after or before your friend Ivy went missing or kidnapped." Ling looked back at the brothers who seemed very shocked that Ivy possibly lived through this, especially Ed.

"When was the last time you saw him, Edward?" Ling asked.

"At East City, we had a conversation one night but..... in the next morning I went to check his room in the hotel and... the woman at the desk said he was gone. That was the last time I saw or even thought of him." Ed explained before running his hands through his golden bangs while letting out a heavy shaky sigh.

"Brother..." Said a worried Alphonse.

"That settles it then, whoever kidnapped Ivy is using him for...... something. I don't know what but.... it's _something_..." Ed mumbled. "And I am going to find him and bring him back." He said.

"That means your dreams might have a possibility of giving us leads on where he could be as we search too." Al suggested.

"Yeah, probably....." Edward stayed silent for a while before looking up at Ling and giving a soft grin. "Ling, I trust you'll help us find Ivy?"

Ling seemed taken aback by the sudden offer but grinned back in response. "You have my word."

* * *

The underground seemed overly cold and damp today. Envy wondered through the halls, bored out of his mind and whistling a nameless tune until he decided to go into a random room of one of his siblings. Judging by the red accent carpet with roses and well kept and decorated bed, it seemed to be Lusts room.

And it seemed she wasn't there. Envy stepped in and closed the door halfway before looking around. He eventually went to a drawer and almost immediately started looking through it, it wasn't the first time Envy has done this. He would often rumage through her things and take something, nothing she'd notice though. Something small like used lipstick or a worn blouse she barely wears.

He eventually closed the drawer, not finding anything interesting to take.

You'd think this kind of trait would be something Greed would do when saw something you had and he liked. But every obsessed love struck person comes with an odd quirk.

Envys odd quirck is stealing Lusts things and.... using them, using the blouse as a pillowcase and licking the used lipstick.

But after the kiss, it seemed like Lust was avoiding him. Even ignoring him sometimes when they went on missions together.

It bothered him, immensely. It made him think he was obsolete, unimportant, inadequate, and insignificant. Does she... Does she think that? She _must_ think that, right?

Did he do something wrong? Was she bored of him?

Envy didn't come in here to take anything today, he came here looking for something specific. Evidence. Proof that she had someone else.

Of course, they aren't a couple. But Envy refuses to let anyone else kiss her and think such sinful things about her, because at the end of the day s _he's mine, MINE!!!_

And then as he was rumaging through her closet in rage, he found it....

_Roses..._

Her favourite flower.

_How could anyone know that!?_ **_I_ ** _KNOW THAT,_ **_I_ ** _KNOW HER FAVOURITE THINGS NO ONE ELSE!!!!_

In a sudden overwhelming blind wave of anger he ripped the flowers to shreds. Ripping the petals to pieces and snapping the stems. He then stomped out of the room, leaving the door open as he left and went to the basement.

Seeing as his anger didn't subdue, he ripped open a cage and forcibly pulled out a chimera. Kicking it in the gut and stomping on the deformed creature, ripping off its limbs and turning his arm into a blade, stabbing countless times and beating until he was tired.

Sending one last kick to the head of the now dead and mutilated chimera, he walked out demanding Gluttony to clean the mess and threating him to keep his mouth shut.

_I'll find that bastard! I'll kill him_ __I'll kill him_ _ ___I'll kill him_ _ _ ____I'll kill him_ _ _ _ _____I'll kill him_ _ _ _ _ ______I'll kill him_ _ _ _ _ _ _______I'll kill him_ _ _ _ _ _ _ ________I'll kill him_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _________I'll kill him!!!!_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________**I'LL KILL HIM** _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
